Concrete patio construction in Covina CA - a patio built on a packed base
Old patio cracked, sunken or holding water by the door? We tear it out, pack the base and pour a slab that sheds water.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into a new concrete patio in Covina?
The short answer: Concrete patio construction in Covina means we dig out the yard, pack a solid base, then form, pour and finish a concrete slab you can set a table and grill on, sloped so water runs away from the house.
Most calls start with an old patio that's cracked, tipped toward the house or holding water, or a bare yard you finally want to use. The price moves with the size, whether an old slab has to come out, how much digging and base the ground needs, and how easy it is to get equipment into the backyard, while the schedule turns on any city approval up front and the weather on pour day. Your written estimate lists what's included, so you can see where the money goes.
How do you know your patio needs replacing?
Cracks that keep widening
A hairline crack isn't a big deal, but a crack that keeps opening or has one side higher than the other usually means the ground under the slab moved. If you leave it, water gets in, the edges chip and the pieces start to rock underfoot.
Sections sinking or tipping
A corner that's dropped or a slab that's tilted usually means the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled along with the dirt. It gets worse each year and turns into a trip edge right where people walk out the door.
Water pooling toward the house
Puddles that sit after you water, or water that runs toward the back door, mean the slab falls the wrong way. Waiting keeps soaking the soil next to your house and under the patio, which is what lets it keep moving.
How we handle concrete patio construction
Before we price anything, I check where the water runs, because a patio has to fall away from the house, not toward it. If there's an old patio in the way, we plan the tear-out as part of the job. We dig down to the subgrade, the firm soil the slab sits on, then bring in base and compact it before any concrete goes in, since a patio is only as good as what's under it. The forms go up with that fall built in, rebar goes in where the slab needs steel to hold the pieces tight if it ever cracks, and we pour and finish it, usually with a broom finish, a light texture that keeps it from getting slick when it's wet. We cut control joints, shallow cuts that give the slab a straight place to crack instead of a random one, and then the patio cures, the wait while it hardens before it takes weight. The base is hidden on day one, and it's the first thing people want to trim from a budget. I'd keep it, because a nice finish on a bad base doesn't last, and I'd rather tell you that before the pour than explain it after.
A patio usually ties into something else. If you'd like a pattern in the surface instead of a plain texture, our stamped concrete services are worth talking about at the estimate. If you want a path out to the patio, we can form it with concrete sidewalk building so the walk and the patio meet at the same height and drain the same way.
New patio on bare ground
This suits a yard that's lawn, dirt or gravel right now. Most of the work is digging out and building the base, and we set the slope away from the house from scratch.
Tear-out and replacement
This suits an old patio that's cracked, sunk or pitched toward the house. We break it out and haul it off, and what we find underneath tells us how much base work the new one needs.
What happens after you call about a new patio in Covina?
Here's how a patio goes from the first call to the final walk-through. I'm the one who comes out to measure, and I'm back on site the day we pour.
- Step 01
Call and talk it through
You call (626) 412-8840 or send the form, and we talk through what you want and what's in the yard now. That tells us whether it's a new patio, a tear-out or both before I come out.
- Step 02
I measure and write it up
I look at the yard, check where the water goes and measure, then you get a written estimate that lists what's included, from tear-out and base to finish. If the job needs a permit, we take care of it before anything gets scheduled.
- Step 03
Pour day with me there
Our crew forms, pours and finishes the patio while I'm on site for the pour. Covina doesn't allow construction work that disturbs neighbors between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. or on Sundays and holidays, so we set pour days inside those hours, and a job that needed Planning approval follows the hours written into that approval.
- Step 04
Walk the finished patio
We walk the finished job with you before we call it done. Then we clean up and leave the slab to cure.
Concrete patio construction in Covina starts with your address
The first question on a Covina patio is which office you're under, and your mailing address doesn't always answer it. Covina's Building & Safety Division takes applications for city addresses, but not for West Covina or for county addresses that carry a Covina name, so I check which one your lot falls under before anything else. For a city address, Covina lists adding a patio or porch as work that needs Planning approval. When a job needs a permit, we pull it as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections.
On patio jobs here and in Glendora, the old slabs we tear out were often set on raked dirt and poured flat or toward the house. We fix both at the base, which is why I measure the slope before I price the job.
Get a written estimate for your concrete patio
We get back to you within one business day to talk through the job, then I come out to look at the yard and measure. The on-site estimate is free, it's in writing with what's included, and there's no obligation.
Why Covina homeowners call Covina Concrete
I price it and watch the pour
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and a crew I've worked with for years does the forming, pouring and finishing while I'm on site. The person who planned your base is standing there when the concrete goes on it.
Pouring concrete full time since 2013
I ran a landscape installation business, kept hiring out the concrete, and learned it from the finishers I was paying until I switched over full time in 2013. That's 13 years of flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks around a house, which is most of what we do.
Licensed and insured, checked at permit time
We're fully licensed and insured. That counts in Covina, because the city's permit technicians check a contractor's license before they issue any permit.
Before you compare prices, ask every bidder how the base gets packed and where the joints go. If you'd like me to answer those for your yard, send us your project details or call (626) 412-8840.
Concrete patio questions from Covina homeowners
Will my new concrete patio crack?
Some cracking can't be prevented in any concrete slab, but joints placed in the right spots control where it cracks and keep the cracks small. So the useful question for a contractor is where the joints will go, not whether the patio will stay crack-free. I lay them out with you before the pour so they line up with doors and edges.
How much does a concrete patio cost in Covina?
It comes down to what's in the price, so find out what a per-square-foot number covers before you compare one bid to another, as one cost guide advises. Ask whether it includes removing the old patio, digging out, base preparation, reinforcement, the finish, equipment to reach the yard, drainage and any approvals, and ask how the base will be compacted. Our written estimate lists what's included once I've measured.
How do I check if a concrete contractor is licensed in California?
Look the contractor up on the Contractor State License Board's website, which shows whether the license is active and what types of license they hold. State contractor law counts building, replacing or improving a patio as home improvement, so it's worth checking before you sign.
What is the best time of day to pour concrete in hot weather?
A concrete supplier's hot weather guide recommends pouring at the time of day or night when the weather is favorable. Heat matters because the top can dry and crack when water leaves the surface faster than it rises from below, mostly on open flat work like a patio. We pick pour day with the forecast in mind, inside the city's work hours.
How do I know if my yard has expansive soil?
Your home buyer's disclosures, the local building department or a soil engineer can tell you whether your property has expansive soil. It matters because that kind of soil can lift and crack a patio slab. If you know or suspect it, tell me at the estimate so we plan the base with it in mind.
How long does it take to build a concrete patio?
The work in the yard is the short part, and the schedule mostly stretches around any city approval up front and the curing wait at the end. Your estimate spells out the work, and on pour day I'll tell you when the patio is ready to walk on and when it's ready for furniture.
Related concrete work around a new patio
Stamped concrete services
Pressing a pattern into fresh concrete gives a patio the look of stone or brick, worth deciding before pour day since it can't be added after.
Concrete sidewalk building
A new patio is easier to use when a solid walk leads to it from the driveway, side gate or front door instead of across the lawn.
Get your patio measured and priced
Call (626) 412-8840 seven days a week or use the form, and have your address, a rough patio size and any old patio to remove ready so the first call covers it.